Zaps passing

Pre-requisite: 3‑count (pass-self-self)

A “zap” is a fast, snappy low pass, that reaches the other juggler more quickly than a normal pass (animation of zaps). Zaps are fun to do, and open up a larger space of passing patterns than you get with just the usual single or double spin passes. The workshop demonstrates some introductory zap patterns, with no double spin throws.

You don’t need to know the theory in these notes. All of the sequences of numbers (4‑handed siteswaps) are linked to the passist web-app which describes the pattern in words, tells you how to start it, and gives you a 3d animation.

The workshop will show the following ~5 patterns: (while these notes cover more)

• 50500: 2 clubs zap-zap back and forth
• 64645: 5 clubs “self self zap : hold hold”
• 52562: 4 clubs “zap zap zip : zip self”
• 75666: 6 clubs “pass self self : zap self”
• Time allowing: 564 and/or 567

For this whole session, decide who will be juggler one and juggler two:

1. Juggler one starts, and always throws crossing zaps, and straight single passes.
2. Juggler two starts half a beat later, and half way through the pattern (after the “:”). They always throw straight zaps, and crossing single passes.

While you’ll want to be able to juggle both roles one and two, it’s hard enough to remember what to do in all of these patterns, without swapping roles within the session as well. If you’re trying multiple 4‑handed siteswaps, it tends to be easiest to stick to one role for one juggling session.

zap-zap

2‑club warm-up: take a club in each hand, and zap-zap them to the other juggler. When ready, they can zap them back. As a formal pattern, it’s:

50500 — but feel free to pause for longer than shown before throwing the zaps back.

The elegant way to zap is to let the club slide down through your hand as you bring your hand down. You’ll end up holding the club near the knob, with your index finger along the handle to keep the club straight and under control. Then swing your arm up and let the club zap out, straight to the other person. You’ll get away with something less elegant, but try to make them quick or “zappy”, and make sure they stay straight and don’t overspin.

If the club is overspinning, you’re probably trying to throw it too much like a normal pass, rather than simply letting go of the club and letting it spin upright by itself.

For most patterns, send all zaps (straight or crossing) to the outside sides of the other juggler. Some jugglers, in some patterns, like to have zaps thrown into the middle, but inside zaps are usually more awkward, and more likely to hit someone, so don’t do it unless asked to.

Subtle point: If you’re crossing, you might find later that your zaps sometimes destroy the other juggler’s pattern. Rather than “throwing diagonally” (pointing the club diagonally, so it stands up to vertical in a vertical plane along that line), you could try pointing your club forwards as if you were zapping straight, but swing your whole arm across, pushing the club over to the side. The club still travels across diagonally, but now the plane that it spins in will be parallel to those of the straight zaps.

Zap intro

64645: 5 clubs “self self zap : hold hold”

The “:” shows where juggler two starts (just holding two clubs until the zap comes, causing the self-self, before zapping the club back).

The zap is “magic”: it’s the same club that zaps back and forth, so you can pick a different-coloured club for the zap.

Passist’s animation does flips instead of holds. If the pattern is too easy / boring, you can do that too! You’ll probably flip the club faster than passist does, so it barely leaves your hand. Active flips also make patterns a lot harder, and the aim here is to focus on the zaps. Another way to fill the hold-hold gap, is to replace it with a self-zip:

66625: 5 clubs “self self zap : self zip”

zap-zap zip-zip-self

One of Iain’s favourite patterns!

52562: 4 clubs “zap zap zip : zip self”

The two zaps are magic, so make them differently-coloured clubs. If you ever do a self or zip with the magic clubs, it’s wrong. If you ever zap a non-magic club, it’s wrong!

Each juggler has one “white” club for the zip-zip-self. You can do one of the zips behind your back to loop the club around your body. There is lots of time, in fact adding this flourish can stop you from rushing.

Juggler two starts with only one club. It’s easy to change who starts this pattern, or start with your left hand if you want to practice that side more. The juggler with one club puts it where the first zap will go. They then start second by zipping their club out of the way of the first zap, and doing a self to catch the second zap.

For after the workshop: you can turn either or both zips into a pass, adding a club for each zip you convert. (The standard siteswap algorithm of adding the period, 5, to one of the numbers: 2→7 turns a zip into a pass.) Converting the first zip into a pass is nicer/easier than the second one.

Zaps and passes

75666: 6 clubs “pass self self : zap self”

The passes need to be “floaty”, taking much longer than the zaps. Push them up with a locked wrist so they are high but don’t overspin.

Remember that Juggler two starts after juggler one: their starting zap is thrown after the first pass. Also remember that if you are crossing your zaps you throw straight single passes, and vice-versa.

The zap is still magic.

Starting the quest

[It’s unclear if we’ll get this far in the workshop. But wherever we get to, these notes point you to plenty more you can try later.]

The so-called Holy Grail of passing (975) involves zaps, single- and double-spin passes, which stack up. It’s notoriously difficult. Incredibly difficult. We’re not going to do it!

Fortunately there are lots of other fun 4‑handed siteswaps. Some of which are advertised as side-quests on the way to the Holy Grail.

Here are two period-3 patterns. Choose your own adventure:

1. Easier, 564: 5 clubs “zap hold : self” or “zap flip : self” or “killer bunny”
2. Harder, 567: 6 clubs “zap pass : self” or “stack-self”. Or start 756 “pass self : zap”.

Pattern 2 has “stacks”, where two throws (a zap and a single pass) are thrown to the same place. So you throw two passes to the same place, one of the other person’s hands, do a self, then throw a stack to the other side.

The start is awkward, because either juggler two starts with a self, or juggler one splits up a stack, starting on a pass.

With stacks it’s particularly important that the heights are clearly different, so that the clubs land at well-separated times. You should also make sure that you throw both clubs to the same place. If you throw the zap short, don’t “compensate” by sending the pass longer! Throw the pass short as well, to the same place. Otherwise your partner will have to dance around, and/or will get hit by something.

Pattern 2 is often just called by its siteswap (567), but it has at least three other names:

• “zap opus 1”, where “holy grail” was also called “zap opus 2”
• “baby dragon”, because it’s a work-up to holy grail, which has a “dragon” (a double followed by a zap). But this pattern doesn’t have a dragon!
• “holy hand-grenade”, like 564/“killer bunny”, is a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference.

Patterns to try in another session

Other relatively-introductory patterns that didn’t make the cut for the workshop:

• 552: 4 clubs “zap zap zip” (with starts “zap zip : zap”)
• 56662: 5 clubs “zap self zip self self”
• 55564: 5 clubs “zap zap flip zap self” / “Funky magazine rack”
• 5556662: 5 clubs “zap zap self zip : zap self self” — if you’re prepared to try period 7 patterns, passist can generate a lot more 4‑handed siteswaps to explore! Rotating them, to create nice “units” of 4 and 3 throws, can make them easier to remember.

Harder patterns:

• 5: 5 club ultimates, continuous zappy zaps (instead of floaty passes as in a beginner workshop).
• 852: 5 clubs “heff zip : zap” (yes, start with a heff, or the zip at the start is unpleasant)
• 825: 5 clubs “heff zap : zip” (I would try 852 first).
• 52567: 5 clubs “zap zap pass : zip self”. As suggested above, adding a club to zap-zap-zip-zip-self. Juggler one starts with 4 of the 5 clubs.
• 57567: 6 clubs “zap zap pass : pass self”. Adding another club.
• 56784: “zap pass flip : self heff”, 6 clubs, nice pattern with self and passing “stacks”. Perhaps easier than 567(?), at least if you hold the flips, and are happy with solo 423.

If you like 567, a similar and nice pattern is 972. It has single and double passes, instead of zaps and singles. It doesn’t have any zaps, but it is also one siteswap tweak away from the holy grail (but also much easier). Double spin passes are like zaps: crossing for juggler one, and straight for juggler two.

End note: more theory, history, credits

Once you’ve internalized the 4‑handed siteswap theory, you only need the numbers and don’t need an app to unpack it for you. If keen, you can read or watch a primer on 4‑handed siteswap from the Passing Zone.

The zaps are “magic” in the period 5 patterns (e.g., there are 5 numbers is 64645), because the period divides into the siteswap of the throw (a zap is a 5). For the same reason, self throws (6’s in 4‑handed siteswap) are magic in period 3 patterns.

These patterns can also all be described as “Prechac patterns”, with zaps being 2.5p throws. The numbers in Prechac are all half what they are in 4‑handed siteswap. Some people used to call zaps “Joe passes”, because they learned how to throw them by copying how the long-standing Joe Pass software animates 2.5p passes.

Credits: I first learned about “Joe Passes” and 52562 (probably described using Prechac) from Doreen Grossmann at an EJC workshop. Will Murray first pointed out to me how easy it is to add clubs to the pattern. I’ve also learned about zaps from workshops by James Francis and Juliane de Vries. I first picked up putting a “:” in a description, to succinctly mark the start for juggler two, from James Francis. Some of the advice for throwing zaps and practicing 4‑handed siteswaps echos advice from workshops by Brook Roberts. All mistakes and bad advice are my own.